Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Arkansas

Fast food and sandwich shops in Little River County, AR

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Little River County, AR, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 23 out of 100: Low

Ranked #1,994 of 2,222 scored counties
#43 of 56 scored counties in Arkansas

Listings
7
6 chain locations (86%)
Official establishments
10
All limited-service restaurants
Household spending a year
$15.5M
On food away from home · $3,208 a household
Spending per listing
$2.2M
28% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
14.5
9% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
11,763
−1.8% since 2020

See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Little River County

The site report maps the fast food and sandwich shops on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Little River County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

For fast food and sandwich shops, Little River County has a Groundwork market score of 23 (low): #1,994 of 2,222 scored counties and #43 of 56 scored counties in Arkansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Households in Little River County spend about $15.5M a year on food away from home, or $3,208 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.2M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 28% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.

There are 7 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings in Little River County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 86% of them, against 79% across the U.S. That is 14.5 per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 13.3.

Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Little River County in 2023. That is one for every 482 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Little River County declined 1.8%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Little River County compares

The same measures for Arkansas and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the fast food and sandwich shops counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Fast food and sandwich shops in Little River County, AR compared with Arkansas and the U.S.
MeasureLittle River CountyArkansasU.S.
Listings per 10k households14.514.213.3
Spending per listing$2.2M$2.4M$3.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)482506478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+11.1%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.8%+3.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,208$3,400$4,070
Median household income$53,344$60,773$80,734
Groundwork market score2331

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
7 → 10All limited-service restaurants
Employees, 2023
165
Annual payroll, 2023
$3M
One-person businesses, 2023
6All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
76 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
5The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Little River County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3. These official figures cover all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops.

Population and households in Little River County

Population, 2025 estimate
11,763−1.8% since 2020
Households
4,820
Median age
43.2
Homes lived in by their owners
80%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
531 sq. mi.
People per square mile
22
Median household income
$53,344+18.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$71,347
Median home value
$113,500
Jobs located here
3,100
Daytime population
10,183Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Little River County?

These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the fast food and sandwich shops on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Little River County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Fast food and sandwich shops across Arkansas

Every Arkansas market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Arkansas for fast food and sandwich shops, numbered among those based in Arkansas, with Little River County marked.

Top counties in Arkansas

Counties in Arkansas ranked for fast food and sandwich shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Marion County, AR7256.5$4.5M+4.3%#302 of 2,222
2Saline County, AR715210.4$3.7M+7.6%#334 of 2,222
3Benton County, AR6616614.8$2.9M+16.0%#533 of 2,222
4Polk County, AR6556.3$4.8M+1.6%#536 of 2,222
5Lonoke County, AR643211.2$3.2M+3.5%#582 of 2,222
6Izard County, AR6259.6$3M+5.9%#661 of 2,222
7Grant County, AR62912.9$2.8M+4.1%#666 of 2,222
8Hot Spring County, AR61108.1$3.9M+1.1%#682 of 2,222
9Van Buren County, AR5879.4$3.1M+2.8%#821 of 2,222
10Conway County, AR56910.9$2.8M+3.2%#918 of 2,222
43Little River County, AR23714.5$2.2M−1.8%#1,994 of 2,222

Other business types in Little River County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many fast food and sandwich shops are in Little River County, AR?

As of September 2026, map listings count 7 fast food and sandwich shops in Little River County. 6 of them (86%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Official counts list 6 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Little River County, AR spend on food away from home?

About $15.5M a year, or $3,208 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 7 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $2.2M per shop. That spending covers all food away from home, which fast food and sandwich shops share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 4,820 households in Little River County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Little River County, AR compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?

Little River County has 14.5 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $2.2M, 28% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Little River County would have about 5, against 7 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 482 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S.

How fast is Little River County, AR growing?

Population estimates put Little River County at 11,763 people in 2025, down 1.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 4,820 households. Median household income in Little River County is $53,344, 34% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 18.3%, before inflation.

What is the Groundwork market score?

The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Little River County scores 23 for fast food and sandwich shops (low), #1,994 of 2,222 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Little River County. It maps the fast food and sandwich shops on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.

How the score works · Top markets for fast food and sandwich shops · All 56 business types in Little River County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Little River County?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

The button opens the report at the center of Little River County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.